Mumbai Indians will play its first home game of IPL 2025, hosting Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, March 31, 2025. After suffering defeats in their first two matches, MI is eager to turn their fortunes around in front of their home crowd. The match is set to start at 7:30 PM IST, with the toss scheduled for 7:00 PM IST.
The Mumbai Indians, a five-time IPL champion, have struggled early in the season, losing both of their away games. Their first match saw them unable to post a competitive total against the Chennai Super Kings, followed by a disappointing performance against Gujarat Titans, where they fell short of chasing down a target of 200 runs. As they prepare for this crucial encounter, MI is dealing with concerns regarding the fitness of their star bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, who is yet to return to full fitness.
The Mumbai Indians’ predicted XI includes Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (captain), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, and V. Satyanarayana Penmetsa. MI's impact substitutes could include Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, and Corbin Bosch.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders are coming off a morale-boosting eight-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals, where Quinton de Kock shone with a stunning 97 runs. The KKR squad is expected to include Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakaravarthy. They may also see the return of Sunil Narine, who missed the previous match due to illness.
The head-to-head record between these two teams favors the Mumbai Indians, who have won 23 out of 34 matches against KKR, while Kolkata has managed to secure victory in 11 encounters. With the Wankhede Stadium known for its high-scoring matches, both teams will be keen to capitalize on the batting-friendly conditions.
The pitch at Wankhede is typically conducive to batting, with small boundaries and a flat surface, making it a favorite among batsmen. The average temperature during the match is expected to be around 32 degrees Celsius, dropping to 30 degrees towards the end of the game, with humidity levels hovering between 39% to 52%.
As MI gears up for their first home game, the pressure is on to deliver a strong performance. Hardik Pandya and his team will be looking to leverage the home advantage to kickstart their campaign. Fans will be hoping for a return to form for star players like Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma, who have yet to find their rhythm in this season.
In their last outing, MI made some puzzling changes to their lineup, benched Will Jacks and Vignesh Puthur, which raised eyebrows among fans and analysts alike. The team is expected to revert to a more familiar lineup as they seek to regain their winning ways at home.
Fans can catch the live telecast of the match on Star Sports Network, including channels like Star Sports 1 HD/SD and Star Sports 2 HD/SD, while the match will also be available for streaming on the Jio Hotstar app and website.
As the excitement builds for this clash, the question remains: can the Mumbai Indians rise to the occasion and secure their first win of the season against a confident Kolkata Knight Riders? With both teams having much to prove, this match promises to be an exhilarating contest.
